Wilted Utopia
by Irihi B.W
Summary: D is hired by a female dhampire to not only slay her Noble half brother, but to save and ensure the safety of her Noble father. It's just another job to D, but even he can't help the temptation of staying in a village where dhampires are loved.
1. Chapter 1

The sky was like a dying giant during sunset. As the star of fire crept to its cradle, the sky bled a profuse and brilliant red; yellow beams of dying sunlight were like trickles of pus, as if the wound were infected and festering with white, wispy bacteria. The earth was parched as black hooves dug into it, sending up puffs of dust that would choke the unprepared traveler to the near point of death. Indeed, the dust vapors reached as high as the rider's waist, and if he were to move any faster, he could blind himself.

The rider in midnight leathers paid no attention to any of the surroundings, a scarf wrapped around his nose and mouth. The fading sunlight weakly beat on the brim of a wide traveler's hat, the black of it seeming to simultaneously absorb and reflect and light and heat. Decorative, and useful, jewels gleamed on the rider's hat and clothes, shimmering like stars in an inky night sky. Truly, none of his flesh showed, even his long, dark hair shielded him from any possible eyes. He was a perfect sculpture of ebony twilight astride a mount, radiating both serious calm and frightening serenity.

Such peace was shattered when a high pitched voice stopped the rider in black. It came from his back left, and he didn't even bother to look as hooves pounded toward him.

Outracing the very dust being kicked up was a woman. If the man must have an opposite, it was she: where he was black, she was an outstanding ivory. Her horse was a mighty white mare; its glimmering silver mane braided and secured with jewels any villager would be tempted to thrift. The woman herself was an arresting beauty, with golden hair cascading in a silky waterfall to as far as her saddle, streaked with precious platinum. Her flesh was pale and her eyes were wide with virgin youth, colored the same as her tresses. Any man would have stared at her curvy body, accented by the white skin-tight leather vest and pants she wore. Her face was only slightly flushed when she approached the man in black, and not a spec of dust marred her Heaven-sent perfection.

"You," she said, her voice like the chiming of crystals. "You are a Vampire Hunter, aren't you?"

The man in black still did not look at her, but he did the respect of pulling down his scarf. "Yes."

Any real woman would have flushed and moaned at the sound of his voice, writhing with passion when just even the lower half of his gorgeous face was revealed. But the woman in white seemed unaffected by such astounding beauty; perhaps because she was aware of her own?

She drew her horse up so they were side by side. "You are Vampire Hunter 'D,' aren't you?"

Still he did not look at her. "Yes."

With such a cold exterior, it was shocking he even answered her at all. But answer her he did and D began to move his horse forward again. The woman took this in stride, urging hers on to keep up with him.

"I wish to hire you, D." the woman said, now her own silver and gold eyes fixated on the road ahead and ignoring his lovely face. "I need your help."

D did not snort or make a smart remark, but this did not surprise the female counterpart in the least. Indeed, it was as if they were old friends, and she knew not to be bothered by his silent mannerisms.

"I will pay whatever price you have," she went on. "I will also provide for you whatever you need, be it food or weaponry. You can have whatever type of room you desire, and—"

D finally happened to look to his left at her and she stopped speaking. Was she, finally, mesmerized by the near angelic face? No—she smiled good naturedly, not the same sort of smile of a smitten woman.

"You're as beautiful as I heard," she nodded when he said nothing, or even reacted, to her statement. "I know you are a dhampire… and I know you realize I am as well."

That was the woman's secret against his allure; a dhampire, much like him, knew of her own charms and how to counter those of others of her kind. But why should a dhampire seek another? Were they not all bestowed with the knowledge of slaying the full blooded Nobles?

"Are you hiring me to kill your Noble parent?" D asked, his voice soft and cold.

The woman shook her head. "No, D. I'm hiring you to save him."

"I slay Nobles, not save them."

"You will slay a Noble, the one who has taken my father captive and is terrorizing our sector of the Frontier." The woman shook her head, her hair glittering in the rapidly fading light. "My father is a good Noble… he would not have kept and nurtured a half-breed bitch if he were not. You understand that, being as I am."

D did not respond, so the woman went on. "He was… inspired by the words of the Sacred Ancestor. He wanted to be like him, so he attempted to do so. He overthrew the cruel Count that once ruled here and since then the villages prospered. Never did he terrorize them; never did he feed upon them. Indeed, his marriage to my mortal mother was a shared celebration of humans and liked-minded Nobles."

The woman put a fist over her well formed bosom, over her heart where a locket lay. "I can't tell you how he survived not feeding on these humans, nor what drove him to such lengths, but whatever it is, he has done enough good to not rot away at the bottom of his own home."

The gorgeous youth lifted his head just slightly, his eyes visible. She smiled as he spoke, "How did your father end up like that?"

"Father is a good man, but in these years of general peace he grew… comfortable. His full blooded son hates him, and has backstabbed him. I would see he'd die by my hand, but Father never wanted me to ever know of war. I know nothing of fighting." She lowered her eyes, perhaps in shame. "A helpless dhampire, who knew? Will you let me hire you, D?"

"Slaying one Noble to preserve another… that would have a hefty price." D remarked.

"One lock if my own hair is worth two thousand dalas. I shall shave it all off and give it to you." The woman said. "If that is not enough there is yet still treasures my father will give to you. Naturally taking care of you is my responsibility, I do not expect you to accept it as payment."

"Fine," D stopped his horse and she stopped her in perfect unison. She smiled when he turned to look at her more fully. "Lead on to your town."

"Thank you, D." she lightly, respectfully, touched his cloak with her pale fingertips. "My name is Sinnae-Marie, the daughter of the Noble Duke Glaerian." Her smile widened, and it was more brilliant than any star shining above them.

* * *

Not even someone like D could be prepared for what happened when Sinnae-Marie and he rode through the gates of the village. When the human villagers stepped out, his left hand twitched without his accord. He waited for the insults, the distrust.

Instead a child ran up to Sinnae-Marie's horse and grasped at her long hair. "Lady Sinnae," the little boy implored. "Who's your friend? Lady Sinnae?"

The dhampire woman bent low and, with one hand, scooped the child up into the saddle in front of her. D heard no woman screaming for her child, no townsfolk silently weeping in fear. The child himself was smiling.

"He's going to help me with my father," Sinnae-Marie said. "His name is D, and he's a dhampire."

"Like you, Lady Sinnae?" the little boy looked over with awe at D. Indeed, the adult villagers looked at him the same. Not a trace of fear was in them.

Sinnae-Marie nodded. "Yes, dear child. Just like me. So make sure everyone is nice to him, okay?" she let the boy down.

The child bubbled with enthusiasm. "I'll make sure everyone likes you, Mister D! We all like dhampires here!"

"Provided," a stout elder commented rather loudly. "You are like the Lady Sinnae-Marie… and not our new _Lord_." The distaste was evident.

D showed no emotion to this startling, surreal village. Instead he looked at the elder who had spoken and plainly asked, "Has he done something to you?"

The elder blanched. Obviously pure Nobles still triggered the inherent fear the Nobles of old had put into the humans' DNA. "He took my wife," the elder muttered. "Took her and made her into a zombie. Impaled her on wood fixed in an odd shape and let her burn in the sun; all because I didn't tell him where Lady Sinnae-Marie was."

Sinnae-Marie was extremely pale, given her heritage. One could not think she could be whiter, but at the news the elder gave, she lost all sense of color in her face. Even her eyes lost their golden hue, replaced entirely by silver. "When…" she cleared her throat. "When did this happen?"

"The fourth day you went out to search for help." The elder held up his hand. "Weep not, Lady Sinnae-Marie, having your half-brother as a lording Noble could only lead to needless death. Simply overthrow him for us, and you'll be thousand times forgiven."

Sinnae-Marie pursed her full lips and without another word started forward again. D paused only a moment before following her, their horses in step with each other in a peaceful trot. Although his eyes were trained on the back of the female dhampire's head, D saw from his peripheral vision villagers watching their Lady with worry and pity. When they passed the villagers fled back into their homes, doors and windows marked with odd symbols. It was still night, after all.

"What a village," a gruff voice floated to D's ears. "They'll fear full Nobles but love on the half-breeds? I wonder; did the girl's father do further genetic tests on the humans before making her? Huh, too bad your own—"

D tightened his hands on the horse's reigns, and the voice was silenced.

A mansion Sinnae-Marie brought D to was nothing short of a dream. It was a brilliant white, as if freshly painted. Four columns of what seemed to be intricately engraved marble towered to heights of fifty feet, upholding a roof with a statue of an angel with a trumpet carved out of it. The windows were stained glass, depicting not the gore and bloodshed most Nobles loved to show. Instead, visions of a homely woman in dark blue holding a baby were the common theme. In fact, the largest window that also served as twenty foot tall and thirty feet wide double doors featured that of a cross. As D passed by it, he did not smell the crisp scent of glass—no, the window-doors were made of alloy of a metal he had only seen once or twice. It was impenetrable to lasers and could withstand heat up to twenty million degrees, and perhaps weighed over five thousand tons. But as Sinnae-Marie approached, the doors opened just enough to let the pair in one at a time before firmly closing behind them, the crucifix design brightly illuminated by the starlight.

And it was a Noble whom built this wondrous, almost holy castle? Even the inside was decadent, having the appearance of old Victorian styles but the power of Noble technology. D recognized a fireplace that was also a computer screen, bearing the controls for whatever it was assigned. Sinnae-Marie indicated to a large, beautifully furnished room with ebony tables and footstools, silk and velvet covered seats all the different hues of the night. Even the ceiling became transparent to show the stars and moon in fully enhanced glory.

D took a seat in a plush single chair as Sinnae-Marie pressed some controls into a pad near the living room doorway. The room was then dimly lighted up, and the soft hum of machines could be heard.

"Do you want something to drink?" asked Sinnae-Marie, pulling a ribbon from her pocket to tie back her glimmering hair. "Water? Coffee? I have fine wine if you'd prefer something of that."

She was prepared to accept a no graciously, but D removed his hat and placed it on his knee. "Wine." He responded.

Sinnae-Marie smiled, but it faltered as she gracefully stammered, "Would you… prefer it to be… flavored?"

D gave her a steady look, and she tried to reinforce her smile. "It is clean… the _flavoring_ comes from the local butcher's livestock… worry not, those animals are nearly revered, they are so taken cared of."

The Hunter was silent for several seconds, and then settled for shaking his head ever so slightly, his hair shaking. Although it was dark compared to her own, somehow D's hair had a beauty to it that even Sinnae-Marie found herself jealous of. Excusing herself she quickly stepped onto an elevated sphere portion of flooring and was transported to another part of the house. D was left alone in nightly silence for perhaps three minutes, and as Sinnae-Marie materialized to the same place she had disappeared to, D was just retaking his seat.

"Learning the floor plan?" the female asked as she passed him a wine glass.

D accepted it and stared at it before answering her. "Something to that effect." He took a sip as Sinnae-Marie sat across from him, an ebony coffee table between them. "Tell me about your half-brother."

Sinnae-Marie nodded as she cupped her own glass between her hands. "Personal opinions aside, my brother Falien could be considered a 'good' Noble. He is typically selfish, cruel, cunning and powerful. He has the power to manipulate things into new shapes. As an example, when I was a child, he tried to kill me by warping a poisonous Cloud Scorpion into a kitten. My father barely caught the trick himself. Falien is also in possession of the second castle my father built, the Offensive Palace." She scowled. "Aptly named, I hated that place. All of its gray, stone walls are covered in lasers and Gatling guns, with several rockets in hidden wall compartments. In other words, every inch of that place is covered in weapons of some sort, even as far as mutated creatures crawling on the walls.

"However father also built this place, the Defensive Castle. After its construction he and other Nobles could only enter from below. This place is nigh impenetrable, by means of weapons or Nobles. It was meant to house the entire village should someone attack. Not only is it entirely made up of several layers of metal and stone, there is also a layer of liquid metal over liquid stone, and I can activate a force field as needed. But it has little to no weaponry."

"I take it your father's will was to leave the Defensive Castle to you, and the Offensive Palace to your brother?" D asked.

Sinnae-Marie shook her head. "Rather, it was the other way around. Falien could not do much harm with such a 'worthless' house, but he could not be hurt himself. I am not a warmonger and find no use for weapons, but no one would dare approach me in such a place. In a way it was Father's way of trying to protect us." She scowled. "But Falien overrode the computer protocols and revamped the Users and AI systems to his own revision, and I had to hack this place just to escape. For now I thought the villagers would be safe after the application of a charm mother taught me, but as the elder told you, I seem to have been mistaken." She sighed, the sound tragically wondrous.

"And if your father is dead?" D asked simply.

Sinnae-Marie's expression didn't change as she brought her wine glass to her oh so kissable lips. "Simply slay Falien and your reward shall be paid in full as per the agreement."

D set his glass down; it was still nearly full minus the few sips he had taken. He made the move to put on his hat, but Sinnae-Marie scolded him, "Finish your glass, have you no manners?"

D paused, but with an odd air he picked up the glass again. Although his face did not change, Sinnae-Marie smiled, for the feel of him gave the impression he perhaps was secretly smirking.


	2. Chapter 2

I had forgotten in the last chapter… naturally I don't own Vampire Hunter D and make no money from this! =) Thanks for the reviews.

* * *

It was just beginning to lighten up with dawn outside when Sinnae-Marie found D out at the stables. She had left him to check on the villagers, assuming he would rest. Instead, he fired off several questions about her brother and his fortress. When she finished answering, D told her to stay home and he rode off like some valiant gorgeous black knight to smite her foes.

And Sinnae-Marie hated that image. She felt so useless, so helpless, watching D ride off into the dawn. She may not be full-blooded, but Sinnae-Marie still had some Noble pride in her, and now that someone had finally come along to help her that pride was starting to bruise. What sort of dhampire, _accepted_ daughter of her Nobility family, let someone else do her dirty work?

_Actually Sinnae,_ she told herself as she busied her hands. _Even a full blooded Noble would hire an underling to do his or her dirty work._

Now how come that didn't make her feel any better?

Sinnae-Marie retreated to the main computer room that also served at the grand master bedroom. The drapery was all silk and velvet of varying shades of the night—from blacks to bruised blue to deep violets. The giant screen was the entire left wall, unadorned and left gray when not in use. Sinnae-Marie threw aside the curtain covering the screen and pressed her hand against it. A transparent keyboard appeared before her and her slender fingers rapidly input the pass code and command prompts dotted not just the screen, but also appeared as smaller, transparent windows around her person. Her movements were like the wind, and soon the wall screen flickered with an image of the castle her brother had taken over.

Sinnae-Marie waved her hand and a throne-like chair appeared behind her. She sat in it primly and watched.

* * *

D's left hand could not keep quiet. "So," the hoarse voice echoed in the canyon as the cyborg horse peacefully trotted along. "What do you think of this Sinnae-Marie girl?"

D didn't respond, instead tugging lightly at the reins and leaning slightly to the left. The horse snickered as it turned, climbing up the rocky path easily. The castle was about ten miles away, and while D was not in a hurry, he wasn't known to take long, either. What sunlight he had was precious, but he allowed the ride to drag on so that by the time he reached the castle, it would be roughly midday. The extra time, however, wasn't going to be spent idly chattering. Somehow, his left hand thought it would be.

"She's quite the character," the hand went on. "For being a half-breed like you she's rather outgoing. Think she ever went outside her little utopia?"

Still no answer, yet at the mention of the village, D's hands slightly clenched. The left hand went on, "Can't imagine a life like that… the humans revering your Noble blood and loving your human blood. Treating you like beloved royalty. Hey, you heard the boy, they like dhampires. May you should stay." It cackled, although it sounded more like a coarse cough of an old man. The laughter was cut off when, in a rare show of annoyance, D clenched his left hand onto the reins and bared his teeth.

Blissful silence descended, and D did not let up the pressure of his hand. He knew the instant the village did not shun him the parasite would go into a teasing rant. It would appeal to his human side, dangling the 'maybes' before him, and then with a sneer dash it all away. D never fell for it, never really got his hopes up, but the left hand's attempt to get a rise out of him beyond what he showed grinded D's already steel nerves. It was bad enough he had to live with the thing, and that he owed it his life twenty times over…

D stopped his horse at the edge of a cliff. There, before him loomed the Offense Palace. Sinnae-Marie did not lie about its weaponry—even from a distance, the Hunter could count the thousands of gatling guns and hidden lasers, the hundreds of rockets and traps waiting for someone foolish enough to come close. His dark eyes passively scouted each armament, especially those around the door. Bodies of villagers were hanging from the walls, rusted skeletons falling even now to gather as bone dust on the earth. Briefly, D thought of how much of a rage Sinnae-Marie would fly into if she saw the carnage.

D relaxed his hand, and even as the parasite began a full on rant, he lifted it to the air toward the castle. The hand whistled in appreciation, and inhaled deeply. Several, quiet seconds ticked by as lazy breezes tossed D's midnight cape and dark hair lovingly along.

"Yup, I taste it." The hand said. D lowered it and turned his palm upwards, and the face emerged. The sight of it would make anyone but D cringe. "There's an elemental spell woven into the foundation. Wind by the taste. Wouldn't be surprised of a typhoon demon was in there."

Typhoon demons were wild, fierce monsters made of the wind itself. The Nobles created these cunning beasts to serve as palace gate guardians, and many a would be slayer fell prey to the monsters, believing the chilling wind was their imagination. Some typhoon demons ran wild, causing destructive sand storms in desert areas and tornados in flatter regions. Any place near the ocean was subjected to hurricanes. Typhoon demons were thought to be invincible, since after all, how can one permanently kill the wind?

Perhaps D could, for he said nothing and looked as stoic as usual as he turned his horse around to get on the correct path.

By the time he was within a mile of the armed fortress, the sun was an hour from midday. If he wanted to complete his job and make it back to Sinnae-Marie before sunset, D had only a scant few hours to work with.

He spied the hidden lasers that were programmed to fire on whatever moved, much like Meierlink's hidden fortress years ago. However, the vegetation within a fifty mile radius had long since died and rotted away or was cut down. There were no acorns or even pebbles to distract the beams. D lightly touched the pendant he wore, but he knew the radius of his pendant did not match that of the lasers. What could he use?

D picked an overfilling pouch from his saddlebags, untying it and opening it as he approached. He collected a handful of the contents and, as he approached, began to flick the metal coins into the air. The beams, as predicted, came for the coins. Unlike the acorns, however, they did not explode and were destroyed. Instead, D methodically flipped the coins in such a manner that, when a laser beam impacted upon it, the coin would reflect it back onto its origin, destroying the mechanism. The coins fell to the ground, charred and useless, as D casually paced himself to the gateway.

It took the entire bag of money, but D had successfully with little effort disabled each laser that fired at him and he stood at the entrance double doors. D tossed the empty pouch aside and pressed his left hand against the doors.

"Nothing," the hand reported.

D withdrew his hand and in the time it took to blink, had thrust his sword into the space between the doors. With a small grunt, D put pressure down onto the handle, and a loud sound rang out as the left door lifted up, then swung open. No typhoon demon came out to stop him, and D activated his pendant. As soon as he stepped inside D heard the whirring of war machines trying desperately to activate, but failed utterly to do so. He passed by more lasers, tanks and even cages within the walls. Creatures in the cages hissed and foamed at the mouth, but the computer could not set them free, and as such were denied a chance to fight the beautiful intruder.

D walked on, as cold as an onyx statue. His left hand made a comment of how this seemed far too easy, and it must be a trap.

"Most likely," D replied, in his 'I know' tone.

Before D could decide if he should go left or right, a shimmering hologram was standing near the wall to his left. D regarded it with an expressionless look, and it bowed to him at the waist.

It said, "Welcome. I assume you're my sister's latest attempt to kill me?"

D replied, "Falien, I take it."

The hologram's facial expression smirked. Falien was the image of a young, powerful Noble—his skin was pallid, with almost a silky look to it, much like his shoulder-length golden hair he had tied back with a black velvet ribbon. His eyes held the roundness of handsome youth and shone with a brilliant ruby red, set within a lustrous face any woman would swoon for. If the hologram was to his exactness, Falien was taller than even D, although much more slender.

"A pleasure to meet you, although you took the coward's way, coming during the daylight." Falien's lovely face drew into a severe frown. "So the village still hides my sister? I thought the death of their precious eldress would frighten them enough, but it seems Father managed to train them rather well at keeping secrets…"

"Where is the girl's father?" D inquired. The scene was almost comical, for D's tone was that of any every day conversation.

The Noble's hologram laughed. "So she asked you to free him? How pathetic, such attachments make her weak. I could, with some years, forgive her half-blood if she was as ruthless as any proper Noble… but no, she had to forfeit her glorious ancestry and pretend to be more human. How disgusting! And you… I know of you. Any Noble would… you're D, aren't you?" Falien scowled, and at last his face was anything but beautiful. His fangs were practically glowing red with anger. "A dhampire hunter? How dare she mock me! Does he believe I'd die to a half-breed like you or she? You'll not leave this place alive, D."

D lowered his head slightly, so his eyes were covered by his hat. Although his mouth didn't move, a hoarse voice floated up from his waist, "Hah! You have no idea how many Nobles said that to him before…"

The hologram just smiled before flickering into oblivion. D turned his head toward the way he came, for he heard the door he opened close with an ominous slam. Darkness surrounded him, and silence threatened to choke his resolve and sanity. Still the Hunter pressed on, to the left and down the stairs that were there.

As D descended into what possibly could be a death trap, back in the village, Sinnae-Marie had chosen to mingle with her villagers. Children clung to her hands and hair, asking where her friend had gone.

"He went to see if he can find my father," Sinnae-Marie said, her answer lighting up the faces of the children.

"He's really strong," one little boy said, his chest puffing out in pride. "He's a dhampire, just like you Lady Sinnae. He'll be okay!"

Sinnae-Marie smiled and lightly petted the boy's hair before dislodging herself and heading for the elder's house. Once inside, the elder hobbled to her with as smile on his face. Sinnae-Marie's heart clenched at the look, but her own lovely face betrayed nothing.

"How does he fare?" the elder asked.

Sinnae-Marie told him all she saw of on the viewing screen. She spoke of how D sacrificed what money he had to make it through the laser defenses, and how she tried to help by sending jamming waves into the rocket clusters and bullet guns. It had worked, and the last she saw was D entering the castle.

"It's all up to him now," Sinnae-Marie finished. Her silver and gold eyes shone with worry and anticipation.

The elder nodded sagely. "Well if he lost his money, we'll do more than just give him discounts, should he return."

"Even if he fails, good elder?"

The old human laughed good-naturedly and again the female dhampire's chest tightened. How many humans would be so easily comfortable in the presence of a dhampire? It was mind-boggling, and many others would believe the entire village mad.

"He is like you, my lady," the elder said. "We cannot fault him for the mistakes he makes, for we can relate, as he's still part human. We've nothing against him anyway, unless he does something to be held accounted for."

Sinnae-Marie thanked him and accepted the small glass of Scotch he offered. She clutched the glass in her palms, and only she heard the crack her superhuman strength caused in it. Quickly she downed the alcohol before it could spill onto the modest carpet.

_Be careful, D. If you die, I don't think we'll last afterwards._


	3. Chapter 3

D ran his left hand along the wall as he descended into the inky darkness. No sound was heard, not even that of his own footsteps. It was as if he were moving into a vacuum, and it threatened to suck up his own mind if he was not too careful. But D was anything but foolish or reckless, and with precise stepping he pressed on. How he knew this was the correct path, only D knew.

The sudden sound of a droplet of water hitting stone made D stop. He listened, and the sound was repeated. He took a step and realized he had recovered his own sound, and with his hand now inching close to the handle of his impossibly long sword, D advanced to a set of double stone doors that had suddenly lit up before him. Obviously Falien was inviting him in, and it was obviously a trap of some sort. But on the Hunter went, as passively beautiful as usual.

When he cam close the doors opened of their own accord, and the sound of water was much louder. The soft humming of machines reminded D of Sinnae-Marie's star room, and he used only his eyes to look about. The room was then flooded with light, and although he did not cringe, D did briefly close his eyes. A moment later he looked again, and before D stood an impressively large tank of water. Floating in the center, chains on his ankles and wrists, was another Noble.

It had to be Glaerian, Sinnae-Marie's vampire father. His hair was the same golden hue with streaks of silver, cut short in a boyish fashion. Although he did not look old, D could almost immediately tell Glaerian was over two thousand, at least. Not a wrinkle on his face, the Noble maintained his seemingly thirty-year old beauty, with a shapely face and high cheekbones that suggested royalty all his life. Glaerian's eyes were closed, and although he was not dead, he was dangerously still.

No one knows why water was a bane of vampires, but should a vampire find himself under water, his body slowly fails to respond. Although they will not die, a vampire may remain suspended in water for eternity, their hunger for blood torturing them body and mind as they floated listlessly along. Somehow, Falien had beaten Glaerian and had him imprisoned in this vat of water, effectively disposing of his father without killing him. But the true question was, why? If Falien simply wanted his father's kingdom, he had it and just needed to kill Glaerian… but he had not.

"Sucks to be him," D's left hand commented.

D looked here and there, but the tank went from floor to ceiling and the top had no space between. Although a human would have, D did not bother to try and break the glass, knowing even his mighty sword would rebound off and, perhaps, trigger the trap Falien had set for him. But how could he free Glaerian?

D made his way to a nearby computer, and when it asked for verification via a blood sample, the dhampire let out an uncharacteristic snort. His left hand laughed gleefully, knowing even as D lifted his right thumb to his mouth, it had yet more jabs it could make at its host.

D squeezed his thumb over the risen panel, allowing two drops of his mixed blood to fall upon it. The computer slid it into the designated area, and immediately verified him as master of the system, overriding authority keys from anywhere else. Although he had never seen this computer before, D expertly keyed in commands; shut down all armaments, sever communication links to them, and encrypt or corrupt the files and drain the nearby tank. D hit 'enter' and was still for several silent seconds.

The Hunter suddenly leaped back and in the blink of an eye, jabbed his sword into the computer console. His vision blurred and whirled around him, but D remained still, pressing his sword deeper into the skull of the monster that had been disguised as a console. The entire room as he saw it before vanished, replaced by what was a ranking pit crawling with slimes and creatures that fused or pulled themselves apart.

D pulled his sword free and held it at the ready, his eyes narrowing dangerously. The ghastly aura he was know to emit filled the pit, and even as they cowered, the monsters shrieked for his flesh and leapt at him, the wet smacking of their feet on what could be blood echoed in the room.

* * *

Sinnae-Marie paced back and forth of her high balcony, watching the sun set. Her heart sank with it, fearing the worse for D and her father. The ageless beauty nervously rang her hair in her fists as she moved back and forth with the steps of a dancer, the fading light glinting off her as if she were a misplaced star.

On accident, Sinnae-Marie ripped out a strand of silver hair and gasped in pain, dropping it. The platinum lock, as soon as it was severed from her scalp, had hardened into pure silver and the tip was razor sharp. She gingerly picked up the thin rod of metal, inspecting it and as usual finding no impurities. Her hair was, from scalp to end, three feet long. If she had to, Sinnae-Marie could rip out her own hair and form them into needles for self defense… or to sell to outsiders to keep her village stocked and rich. It was how her hair could be used as payment for D's service.

Sinnae-Marie placed the strand gently on a nearby table and grasped the locket hanging from her neck. It was circular in shape, with a silver border and a golden center, an onyx set in the direct middle. It had various almost Celtic-knot like engravings all around it, and although it was simple in design, it was her most precious gift. It was all that remained of her mother.

The female dhampire went back inside for even the setting sun, when making direct with her pale flesh, made her uncomfortable. She had put away her protective white leathers and favored a simply pale green nightgown that flowed with ruffles to her shapely calves, her feet pinched into a matching pair of simple silk slippers studded with crystals. She threw on a thin, transparent shawl to cover her bare shoulders and wandered her immense house, still waiting like a housewife for her faraway husband.

Hours ticked by and it was past midnight when Sinnae-Marie snapped out of her reverie over a cup of coffee. Although it was still miles out, her ultra-keen hearing heard the sound of a cyborg horse whinnying in the distance, and it was coming right for her home. Her heart soared with hope, and despite being improperly dressed, Sinnae-Marie raced to the front foyer to meet with whom she hoped was D and, perhaps, her father as well.

A shadow passed over the immense doors and, as the computer read the nearby life force, beeped gently in acceptance and opened the doors. Sinnae-Marie waited impatiently, rushing forward when D came into the house. However, disappointment crushed some of her happiness, for Glaerian was not with him.

That disappointment, and her welcoming smile, was dashed away when the scent of blood reached her delicate nose.

"D!" Sinnae-Marie stood before him, clutching her shawl around her. "Are you all right?"

"I did not find him," was all D said as the doors shut protectively behind him. "I'm sorry."

She shook her head, her beautiful hair whipping side to side and several locks falling in front of her face. "That's fine," she promised. "I didn't expect you to finish in one day. You must be…"

Sinnae-Marie stopped as D lifted his hand and, with odd gentleness, brushed her loose strands of hair away from her face. She stiffened as D stared at her, face emotionless but eyes burning. Nothing smelled out of place, other than D obviously fought for his life. He didn't radiate unusual heat or coldness…

She seized his hand as he moved to cup her face. Her eyes flashed pure gold as she gazed at him. "I've only known you for a day, but you're hardly a womanizer."

D's face smirked at her. "As you already said, you've only known me for a day. What, are you afraid to know a man?"

Sinnae-Marie released him and backed away, and before her eyes D melted to the ground, only to reform into a very different person. She scowled as she recognized the new intruder, for it was Falien's own bodyguard, Terra.

Terra pouted, her face, although modestly pretty, was dirt compared to that of Sinnae-Marie's unearthly beauty. "You spoil sport,"

The dhampire reached her hand behind her, grabbing hold of a side table's drawer and pulling out a laser handgun. She pointed it directly between the mutant's eyes, even as Terra advanced to her.

"Your pretty boy fell right for Master Falien's trap," Terra cackled. "Even gave up a few drops of his precious blood for me to make myself into his likeness." The woman sighed, running her hands over her small curves in shame. "Even for a man, I felt much more beautiful in his form."

"You were better off playing the cold bastard that attempting to bed me," Sinnae-Marie spat before firing.

The laser cut perfectly through Terra's forehead, forming a perfect o between her eyes. However, the wound didn't bleed, and simply was filled back up and sealed as if never there. Terra _tsked_ at her former mistress, and once more took a step toward her.

"I regret to tell you, Lady Sinnae-Marie," the mutant said, tossing her black hair behind her shoulder. "That Master Falien has ordered your pretty head on a shield."

Sinnae-Marie fired the gun again, aiming for Terra's neck. She had raised the power to maximum, hoping to dislodge the bitch's head, but it hung on by a strip of skin. The head flopped back, then with a disgusting lurch tossed back up and fitted into place, the fissure on her neck disappearing.

Sinnae-Marie cursed under her breath, and only barely managed to roll away from Terra's jump at her. The dhampire woman knew she couldn't open the door fast enough, and could only race deeper into her home.

Terra lazily followed after her, enjoying the chase. She had all night to bring the woman back… what was a little extra fun?


	4. Chapter 4

There was an old saying some spineless people would say… something like, "I'm a lover, not a fighter." And then proceed to summon some sort of inhuman bodyguard to do their dirty work for them. One could say Falien was such a person, to send Terra after her _at night_ instead of coming himself. Truly, was he afraid of her? But considering Sinnae-Marie was doing more running than she was fighting, she could probably spat out the same line.

Sinnae-Marie ducked behind a couch just as Terra launched herself, disguised as D, in the female dhampire's direction. The golden and silver-haired beauty scrambled out of the way of another tackle, looking around for something to take the mutant down.

Terra was once a human, but she crossed Glaerian in some severe fashion. He had her captured, tried, and sent to Falien as a present. Instead of feasting on her, Falien decided to put her through several horrific operations that twisted the very make up of her body. Her body could regenerate itself so long as it was still connected—as in, when Sinnae-Marie blew off her head; the strip of skin that kept it connected was enough to let Terra regenerate the nerves, tendons, muscles, everything to reattach the head.

The dhampire tore out four strands of her hair, gripping them in her fist as they hardened into the metallic needles. Just as Terra charged at her, Sinnae-Marie let her instincts take over—rapidly she threw the needles faster than the eye could see. Terra jerked to a stop as one pierced her forehead, her heart, her right lung and her stomach. The mutant cackled wildly.

"You're a slow learner, aren't you?" Terra grabbed the carpet Sinnae-Marie stood on and swept it out from under her. Sinnae-Marie gave out a cry as she lost her balance, and next thing she knew, Terra had her pinned to the ground, a dagger stabbed into her left forearm between her bones to keep her in place.

Terra twisted D's beautiful face into a horrific smile, incomplete fangs in her mouth. "I always thought you lovely, Sinnae-Marie." Terra lowered her face to the dhampire's neck. "But I knew you didn't swing this way… but with D's form and his _awesome_ equipment, it shouldn't prove too horrible for you, should it?" Terra ripped the dagger down, blood gushing onto the floor.

Sinnae-Marie lifted her knee right into Terra's crotch, and the mutant's eyes bulged. She may not normally be a man, but when she morphed her body into one, Terra had all the weaknesses the body had. With a pained roar Terra rolled to the side and Sinnae-Marie reached behind the desk nearby with her right hand, grabbing the computer wire and snapping it in half. Sparks flew, and as Terra regained her composure and charged at her, Sinnae-Marie held the wire up and plunged it right into the silver needle sticking out of the mutant's heart.

Terra shrieked in a horrid mix of her and D's voice as the silver conducted the electricity to each needle still in her flesh, intensifying the shock. Her skin blackened, charred, and her eyes dried up and exploded into spurts of blood. When Sinnae-Marie finally ripped the wire away, the husk was smoking and horribly mutilated, for the silver had melted and mixed into the melting flesh and only further carried the charge. Sinnae-Marie breathed several deep breaths, then grabbed the dagger pinning her left arm and jerked it out with a pained cry.

She dropped the dagger and laid where she was, Terra's blackened body standing watch like a poorly sculpted gargoyle.

* * *

As D rode through the village, it was early morning, almost sunset. A few curious villagers, wondering what their dogs whined about, looked at him in surprise. For they had seen him ride through earlier… hadn't they?

When the Hunter approached the manor, the scent of blood hit his nose that made him freeze. It had the sweet smell of a virgin's pure blood, but at the same time, the pungent spicy aroma of vampire blood. It had to be Sinnae-Marie's. D came up to the manor's doors in a hurry, and when the computer refused him, he tapped the console once—the doors opened and he pushed in quickly. He saw three rooms in complete disarray, and in the star room he saw scorch marks and a dried pool of blood. He followed the linger trail to the back hallway, leading to the second floor's bedrooms. As he approached Sinnae-Marie's bedroom, he heard the rip of cloth and the hiss of annoyance that was in the female dhampire's voice. D visibly calmed and stepped into the room unannounced.

Sinnae-Marie glanced up, her left arm held up in front of her face. One hand held the gauze and end of the bandage against the wound, the other end of the bandage in her mouth as she tried to pull it taunt. No words were spoken as D made his way to her, expressionless and cool, and gently laid his hands over hers and took the bandage from her mouth. Sinnae-Marie watched him wordlessly as he wrapped her still bleeding arm without her asking for help, and he spoke nothing as he worked. When the bandage was rolled on and secured, D let her go, and she looked up at him from her seat on her bed.

Again neither spoke, but it wasn't a tense silence. Something akin to understanding somehow passed between them via their eyes, and Sinnae-Marie sighed as she glanced away. She stood up, wanting to get some coffee for herself and her Hunter guest, and D took hold of her elbow as she wavered.

"Sit down," he said. There was no sense of an order in his tone, yet the way he said it invited no argument.

In truth, Sinnae-Marie was too tired to rebel, and she sat back down. As if he read her mind, D left the bedroom in direction of the kitchen. Several minutes ticked by, but instead of hot, black coffee, D returned with sweetened hot tea for her. He offered her the mug, and with a small smile of appreciation, she took it and helped herself to a long sip. Despite the scalding on her tongue, it was such a welcome feeling she drained the cup before she knew it. D stood over her, waiting patiently for her to tell what happened, as if his offering of tea was both an apology for his failure and to make up for him not protecting her from Terra.

When she set the mug aside and explained, she also added more detail about Terra, including that although she burned all of Terra's bodily nerves and dumped the body into the refuse pit, Sinnae-Marie was not a hundred percent sure the mutant was totally destroyed. D confirmed the blood sample and gave her a vague and brief summery of his visit to Falien's castle, from where he entered the gate, encountered the hologram and the disturbing vision of Glaerian in the water tank, and a brief description of the monsters D had fought his way through to get out of the castle. When both were done, Sinnae-Marie covered her eyes with her hand.

"Do you think…" she murmured. "Do you think he is tortured like that? In a tank of water?"

"I don't know," D answered, blunt as ever.

Sinnae-Marie uncovered her eyes, now shining in their oddly beautiful dual metallic colors. "Are you tired, D?"

"Not really."

She nodded to him. "Would you like to come with me to the village?"

D said nothing for several long moments, but the gorgeous man finally left the room to let her get dressed. When Sinnae-Marie donned her protective white leather outfit and left the manor, she found D waiting for her at the stables, both of their horses saddled and ready. Her smile was brilliantly beautiful, and although D did not respond with his own, his dark eyes did soften just a tad for just a moment under his wide brimmed traveler's hat. No one would have noticed it, but naturally Sinnae-Marie did, and it was enough.

Soon the pair of dhampires were riding through the village at a slow pace. Early morning villagers waved and shouted greetings, of which only Sinnae-Marie answered and reacted to. D rode passively next to her, a statue of polished black, the shadow cast by his hat covering his eyes.

The village was not particularly large, consisting of perhaps a few hundred small residences and a handful of stores. Although their part of the Frontier wasn't particularly lush, they still had healthy, thin green grass and large trees to offer shelter from the sun. D noticed a path leading off to a copse of trees, and when Sinnae-Marie saw him looking at it, she smiled so tragically a child nearby who saw it started to weep.

"There is a clearing there, surrounded by various bushes of flowers," Sinnae-Marie explained as they passed the path leading to the area. "My mother's grave is there. Father has machines just under the soil to make sure the flowers never wilt."

D said nothing but he did nod, indicating he heard her. "Oh," Sinnae-Marie added. "Please, if you ever need anything I cannot provide, see the shops here. The villagers all expressed they would give you their wares for free should you need them."

"Are the villagers not afraid?" D suddenly asked, a rarity for him to seem curious or interested.

Sinnae-Marie shrugged. "Of course they are, but their faith in Father and I override it."

"I meant of you and your father."

Sinnae-Marie was silent as their horses rode on toward the gathering stadium, where many humans were going as well. Before they made it to the water troughs for their horses, she sighed deeply.

"They aren't, no. They love us… father I guess cultivated them as such." Sinnae-Marie watched D dismount, and then as she started to dismount her own horse, she felt D's hand steady her against her mid-back.

While Sinnae-Marie brushed off his kindness as being a gentleman, D himself wasn't too sure of his own actions towards the fellow dhampire. Most Nobles or dhampires he came across either did not interest him or he was meant to kill them. Something about Sinnae-Marie—or, perhaps more accurate, her life and her village—left D in the oddest state: he was interested and slightly confused. Such a state was new for him, and he was unsure of how to act upon it. This led him to acting slightly kinder toward Sinnae-Marie than he usually was with clients. His left hand was sure to speak about it when they were next alone.

"Every tenth day since Father's capture and disappearance, I come here to assure the humans and tell them to keep their wits about them and never give in to fear," Sinnae-Marie explained as she led D around to a side door. "It'll only take a few moments, and then I'll show you something you'll actually be interested in—the factory Falien created then abandoned."

"I could find it myself." D interrupted.

"Naturally, and probably get in yourself, but as your employer I ask you to wait for me. If you want go on ahead to it, but don't go in." with that, Sinnae-Marie patted his arm in farewell and entered the building.

Silence filled the air as D stared at the door. Finally, his left hand spoke up, "So, uh, are we leaving? Pretty sure she isn't gonna come out and throw herself at you."

D looked down at his left hand, where the little face was imploring him to move on and find entertainment. His face never changing expression, D slipped on the black gloves he had purchased from the village before going to the manor earlier. He ignored the muffled protests as he used his right hand to open the door and follow Sinnae-Marie.

Inside it was the typical stadium type building, with rows of seats starting low then climbing higher. A podium and microphone stood lonesome on the stage in the middle, and D found himself under that stage. He looked to the left, than the right, but did not find his employer. He shrugged ever so slightly and, through the shadows, made his way to the stadium seats.

Sinnae-Marie was at the podium when D settled into a shadowed corner where he knew no one could see him, except for perhaps the other dhampire. Humans were filing it, but there were hardly enough to come up to the top row where the Hunter hid himself. Even the hyperactive children he had seen screaming and playing in the roads were quiet and obedient to their mothers, sitting and behaving. After perhaps a few minutes of people shuffling around for seating, Sinnae-Marie tapped the microphone. When the sound echo from the speakers all around and comfortable silence descended, the dhampire opened her mouth in speech.

"Villagers of Lastiva, once again I gather you here to listen to my words. I know of your fear, your anxiety. It has been countless days since our beloved Noble Lord, Duke Glaerian, has gone missing and the foul wretch that is Falien has settled in. Since his reign, I've been forced to hide in my own home village and my friends, you, forced to suffer his wrath and destructive whims. That first dark day, by the light of the dawn, I swore to you I would restore my father, Glaerian, as your rightful and righteous ruling Noble.  
"And although I thank you for your loyalty and absolute faith in me and my father, I must tell you that it breaks my heart and soul to hear of when Falien strikes while I am out attempting to find help. That I apologize to you, for being weaker than he and unable to strike the bastard down with my own hand! I am sorry that some of the previous help I had commissioned had failed, and you my faithful villagers, suffered for it.  
"But those nights of terror are swiftly coming to an end! For I have finally found someone able to withstand the horror of Falien, someone who shall bring back my father Glaerian and restore the peace and happiness you all knew! He is like me… of mixed blood, a dhampire, whose strength and cunning bests that of any Noble. His name is D, and he _will_ save us. Trust in me, trust in D… and keep your souls and minds steeled. No more terror, no more bloodshed… D and I shall prevent it; believe in us! Remember the happiness, envision it until you can taste it… and watch as we bring about our golden age again.  
"I ask you to provide what you can to Hunter D, and to do your part, however small it may seem, to save us all."

Sinnae-Marie smiled and nodded as the villagers' murmur of agreement and consent echoed throughout the stadium. D stood from his spot and, again through the shadows as if one of them himself, to leave the building. A movement caught his eye, and when he turned to look, a small girl was waving at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen.

D inclined his head to her, and her excited giggle echoed in D's ears as he exited.


	5. Chapter 5

You know… these chapters look longer in Word than they do on the website…

For the record, my sister was reading this and she said Sinnae-Marie's name out loud. I know it technically doesn't matter, but it isn't Sin-_ah_-Ma-ree, it's Sigh-_nah_-Ma-ree. =) Thank you everyone for the reviews! Feel free to also criticize or leave questions (naturally spoilers won't be given.)

* * *

As requested, D waited outside the entrance of the factory for Sinnae-Marie. She had no idea he had watched her little speech, or that even he found the entrancement and loyalty of the villagers surprising. It was yet another thing to add to the growing confusion D kept burrowed deep under his cold emotionless mask. While he had witnessed villages under the rule of Nobles, none were happy about it no matter the benefits. D remembered the rose princess, Vlad, even as far as Magus Lee. The princess kept her villagers fed and rich through surplus harvest, but her people lived in fear, as did Vlad's, despite the 'ultimate' safety he had given them. D did not even want to recall the loathsome Magus Lee, for with that memory came the memory of…

No, these villagers were genuinely happy. What's more, they were not rich, but they were hardly slums. They still had to work hard, still had to labor for most of their goods. It was the closest thing to a normal utopia D had ever witnessed… the humans safe and happy, the Noble kind and generous. But how did the Noble last without preying upon the villagers? How did he cultivate this loyalty and love without horrendous experiments? That was what had D perplexed, and above all else, interested… and Sinnae-Marie was his key to finding this out.

It also was Sinnae-Marie herself. D met many dhampires, some wanting to join the Nobility, some wanting to be accepted among the humans, and some that walked the line in between. Sinnae-Marie was the first dhampire D ever heard of being loved by her human villagers _and_ her Noble family. Some could argue D did not have a shortage of such love from his parents, but he'd never confirm nor deny such, and would not allow anyone to speak of _him_ in such a manner anyway. But D was curious to see just how Glaerian treated Sinnae-Marie. Was it truly a fatherly love? Or was it what Glaerian just _taught_ her was fatherly love but, in truth, was abuse the Nobility were so well known for toward their begotten offspring? And even if it were abuse, what exactly did D intend to do with such information? After all, it was simply his job to bring Glaerian back to ruling power by saving him and disposing of Falien.

"You're thinking real hard," his left hand, now free of the glove, commented.

Naturally D had no answer for the parasite, so it simply went on, "So what do you think? She's pretty good lookin' for a dhampire. She won't break if you took a bite. And it won't be hard to win her over… why don't you indulge yourself?"

Again the Hunter ignored it, and before it could speak again Sinnae-Marie crested the hill D faced from under the shade of the ruined factory's sheltered entrance. He had already hacked the old computer and the door was unlocked, and all he had to do was wait for the lovely woman now making her way to him with the steps of a dancer. Any normal man could not help but gaze lustfully at her long, slender legs or her swaying full hips. Any normal man would practically salivate at the slight bounce of her bosom, the paleness of her slender neck and the pure, raw beauty of her face, the mystical coloring of her hair and eyes. And yet, D was no normal man, and his dark eyes were trained on Sinnae-Marie's gorgeous face without the barest hint of desire.

Sinnae-Marie found it most refreshing as she met with D and lifted her slender fingered hand in greeting. D nodded, and without a word turned to enter the factory. Sinnae-Marie followed with nothing to say, their companionable silence something D never truly had with a client, let alone a female. Even D found slight enjoyment in their moments of no words with the absence of awkward tenseness.

Sinnae-Marie did eventually break the silence with a murmured, "Careful D. It may have been shut down, but things still crawl in the dark, and the building is rotting as per the instruction Falien gave it."

"Would he know we'd come here?" D asked.

"Probably. This is most likely where Terra, and other of his minions, were manufactured. There may be data left behind," Sinnae-Marie paused when they entered the large circular room, the central pillar serving as a computer console. Gigantic screens, some black, some featuring static still, was all around them. An elevator was hidden behind one of the screens, but before they moved on, D looked at the console.

"I haven't been able to get it to work," Sinnae-Marie admitted as D began to casually tap keyboard buttons. "The power is more or less out, and even then it's most likely decrypted or—"

The buzz of activity cut the dhampire woman off, and a female face filled each screen around them. The empty sockets focused on D and red beams burst forth, analyzing him. D raised his left hand to one of the beams, and instantly all of them vanished. The female face in the screens nodded.

"Welcome, master." The computer said pleasantly. "It's been thirty years since your last log in. Would you like to create a new log in?"

"No," D commanded, and Sinnae-Marie was shocked to silence. "Access the last file I used before my departure."

"Of course, master." The face vanished, replaced by documents and images flashing across the large screens. Around D, smaller, translucent screens showing the same data appeared.

"Your last file was named, _Terra Perfection_." The computer reported. "In case you've forgotten master, you had wanted to enhance your handmaiden Terra. With this program…" the documents and images faded, and were replaced with prompt screens and codes. "You added the regeneration ability, the cloning ability, the melding ability, and speed enhancement were added to her leg and thigh muscles, as well as upgrading her lungs and metabolism. You declared the project complete and did not delete it. Would you like to delete it now?"

"No." D looked at Sinnae-Marie, who was looking at one of the physical screens. He looked back to the smaller screens around him. "Copy the project to a portable disk, as well as your programming and any other data left in the system."

"That will require an hour of time and will take up three disks. Shall I manufacture these disks? If so, the time will extend by fifteen minutes."

D answered, "Yes. After the process is finished and I leave the building, destroy your programming and activate the defensive mechanisms; be sure to destroy anything left alive in this building."

"Yes master. I will inform you of when the process is complete." The computer's smaller screens disappeared, and the larger ones flashed the download task bar.

Sinnae-Marie breathed in awe, coming toward D. "You're amazing,"

D did not answer, but moved on to the elevator. His client followed after him, amazement still in her eyes even as they were closed up in the elevator.

The Hunter turned toward Sinnae-Marie when her breathing suddenly quickened, the aged elevator sluggishly moving downward to the basement. She had her hands clasped in front of her neck and her eyes were closed; it was obvious she was trying too hard to breathe properly. He wasn't going to say anything until her fast heartbeat and rising blood pressure was practically roaring in his ears.

"What's wrong?" D asked. Sinnae-Marie jumped and when her eyes opened, she was breathless. They had yet to arrive at the basement.

"I-I'm…" Sinnae-Marie swallowed. "I'm claustrophobic…"

A sneer only D heard was issued, but even the Hunter himself almost donned an incredulous expression. A claustrophobic dhampire was something not even he had thought was possible, but D showed nothing, simply respecting her problem and stepping away to give the illusion there was more space. This apparently helped, for Sinnae-Marie's breathing slowed and she relaxed a bit. When the elevator's doors finally opened she practically flung herself out and leaned against the nearest pillar, muttering curses under her breath as D strode past her without a word. She caught her breath and quickly followed.

The basement was dark save for the flickering blue lights that threatened each second to go out for all eternity. Tanks, all perfectly lined up along the walls, were either still filled with fluids or nothing at all. Those still full had nothing to show for it, and were dimly lit by green tinted lights at their bottoms. Tiny silver bubbles would once in a while travel through the fluid, dimly and crudely reflecting the forms of the two gorgeous intruders. D's black raiment had him fit perfectly in the blue-tinged shadows as if he were one of them, but Sinnae-Marie's white outfit was incandescent blue like a pearl and, although in a way more beautiful, more of a target for any enemy. It was because of that the beautiful woman stayed close to D's side, for in his unearthly aura there was the sense of safety she found in another of her kind. She looked all around, for she was never allowed in the factory even when her father was in power, and such evidence of cruel science both repulsed and interested her.

D paused at a rather large tank, pretty his left hand against it. The fluid was ice cold from possibly years of standing still, and as he felt the small face rise up out of his palm a silvery bubble floated up, his pale and lovely visage reflected back at him in a warped manner.

"This was Terra's tank," D said at last. "There are bits of her left it in, as well as other things. She's a chimera."

Sinnae-Marie was astounded; how could he tell by just pressing his hand against it? "A chimera of _what_, exactly?" She sounded anxious because the traits Falien gave Terra were eerily like those of a Noble, and she feared the worse, since the completion of _Terra Perfection_ was shortly after Glaerian first vanished…

"I don't know," although his tone didn't change, Sinnae-Marie got the feeling that indeed, D _did_ know. "But we'll find out when the computer is done."

Sinnae-Marie shrugged and moved on to look around the laboratory, for that's what this basement was. While the Nobility were known for their scientific genius and huge laboratories to create life and weapons, Falien, under Glaerian's rule, was forbidden to create the more dangerous arsenal than simple-minded servants and beasts. But, as the female dhampire walked those forsaken halls, it was painfully obvious Falien tricked both of them and was indeed creating monsters. Perhaps that's even where the typhoon demon came from, so long ago…

Sinnae-Marie didn't realize D was speaking to her until she heard, "Are you all right?" from his direction.

She started and turned to see he had been following her. "Yes. Sorry. What?"

D made a slight motion toward her with his right hand, his black cape ruffling with the movement. While it was made of tougher stuff, the fabric made the same luxurious sound of silk caressing silk, and Sinnae-Marie felt her face attempt to fill with color. She only heard the second half of his question, "…after the Noblewoman of the same name?"

"Hm? What? Oh." Sinnae-Marie shook her head, golden tresses mixed with silver flying romantically about her head. "My name? Yes… The 'Sinnae' part of my name was after the Noblewoman who was known for her… _creative_ ways of getting human blood. The 'Marie' was from my mother… her name was Marie."

D was silent for a few moments, and Sinnae-Marie felt perhaps she misunderstood him. Before she could ask, he went on with, "Did Falien ever know Sinnae before she was hunted?"

"I don't recall." She answered honestly. "She was quite the scientific genius even amongst the Nobility. Are you saying perhaps he learnt from her?"

"Perhaps," was all D said before turning away.

They fell into their comfortable silence, walking in the lab together. Sinnae-Marie asked no questions despite her burning curiosity and D made no attempt to start conversation. It felt like several hours before a translucent screen appeared before the Hunter and the female face with no eyes filled it.

"Your disks are ready, master. You have ten minutes to get out of the facility before the second set of instructions take place." The computer said faithfully. "I hope you find me a new home, master. It has been a pleasure serving you."

"Thank you." D held out his hand, and it was almost magical how the screen dropped three shining disks into his palm. He pocketed the small things and turned back to the elevator.

Sinnae-Marie swallowed her fear the best she could as she followed him. Again D stepped back and she tried hard to force herself to fall for the trick. However, the second time didn't work, so she closed her eyes and tried not to suffer a panic attack. Seconds ticked by as long as hours to her, and even though D was close, in all his beauty and same-race comfort, Sinnae-Marie still felt fear swelling in her heart at the fact the walls were so close to her, encasing her, entombing her, _strangling_ her very psyche and…

The elevator _ding_ed and Sinnae-Marie ran out, stopping only at the entrance to the factory for D. She waited for him, her hand on the console, as he strode over in his usual almost casual pace. She was prepared to leave, to get away from this place and eager to find out what exactly were on the disks. Could it be Falien had _manufactured_ a dhampire-like being? And if he did, he used her father in this experiment? The thought sent shudders down her delicate spine and she clutched her pendant-locket in her hand as D opened the doors and led the way back to their horses.

The ride to the village was again quiet; although Sinnae-Marie thought it odd D kept clenching his left hand as if irritated. She thought nothing more of it when they passed through the gates and it was almost instant when a flock of children suddenly surrounded them. D and Sinnae-Marie had to stop their horses, for the children blocked their path. D never saw so many smiling kids in one place… especially since they were beaming at _him_.

"Lady Sinnae-Marie, Lord D!" they called, and again D clenched his left hand. "Will you come with us to the Flower Hill? Please?"

Sinnae-Marie glanced at D for only a moment before turning to the children with forlorn eyes, "I'm sorry, D and I can't right now."

Several faces pouted and younger ones looked ready to cry. A ten year old boy stepped forward, the same one who approached them when D first came to the village, and gently took hold of D's cape. The beautiful Hunter turned his emotionless gaze at him, and the child was resistant to both beauty and aura.

"Please, Lord D?" he asked. "I know if you go Lady Sinnae-Marie will. It's only for a little bit, just so we can play our game with lots of space. Two hours at most! Please?" he tried his best face yet, a cherubic face so divinely cute and pathetic.

"Danny," Sinnae-Marie started. "I told you, don't—"

D tilted his head just ever so slightly, regarding the boy and his group. He cut off Sinnae-Marie with a simple, "Two hours."

The roar of delighted children would have lightened any Frontier's hardened adult heart. Indeed, Sinnae-Marie smiled majestically at her companion, and although his expression never changed, the fact he would watch over the children was enough.

The children loaded themselves into a wagon, of which Sinnae-Marie hitched her horse to. They sang and cheered the entire way out to their destination, often stopping their blissful babble to shout thanks and praises to D. The Hunter never replied, but the air he gave off was that of a small bit of satisfaction. It made Sinnae-Marie's heart happy to know D, in all his coldness, did want at least to make children happy.

Flower Hill was not a long horse ride from the village, and was actually a very large field of flowers. The hill that was in it was small, and a lone tree stood proudly over it to provide shade. Sinnae-Marie gave strict instructions for the children to remain within eyesight of the hill, and as she and D settled into the shade the children took out a ball and set up with poles what they called the goals. There they split into two teams and proceed to kick the ball around. The objective was the never pick the ball up, but only kick it toward your opponents goal. It was a physical exercise the children loved, and it made all of them fit and excellent runners even at their young ages.

As they watched from their perch, Sinnae-Marie turned a grin toward D.

"Why," she began. "I never knew you were a children person, D. A pleasant surprise."

She expected no answer, but D did turn to her, his wide-brimmed hat revealing his eyes. She clucked at him but simply motioned toward the playing kids.

D waited for further comments before adding his own, "They have been waiting a long time to come out here."

"Probably. I'm still surprised you gave in to their request."

Indeed it was shocking. D, while he wasn't the one to be cruel to children, knew what the Frontier was like. If these children ever left this utopian village, they would be completely and utterly unprepared for the life outside. It was harsh out there, with cruel monsters and crueler Nobility… with even uglier humans. He would not exactly promote an upbringing that did not ultimately prepare them, for in the long run it was horrendous when grown up children found the world was not as wonderful as they thought. Such broken innocence could break anyone's heart. Although it probably did not break D's, it obviously affected him in some way.

And yet, here he was, watching happy-go-lucky children screaming in joy as they kicked a crude ball around, enjoying themselves under the watchful eyes of dhampires. Perhaps that was what triggered D to come… they asked him, specifically, knowing what he was and probably what he could do, to watch over them as they played. Danny himself seemed to have attached himself to D, and that also affected the Hunter, for he remembered another child much like that. In fact, even their names…

Two hours later D stood up, and instantly the children ceased their game. They knew two hours was two hours with D, and they broke down the poles and loaded back into the wagon with jeers toward each other over which team one. Such talk lasted all the way to the village, although the younger ones had fallen asleep from exhaustion. D and Sinnae-Marie had to bring these children to their homes, and the parents themselves smiled right at D in appreciation.

It was so alien to the Hunter. Acceptance was not a feeling he truly ever experienced.

By the time Sinnae-Marie and D made it back to her manor, it was early evening, the sun just starting its descent. D immediately went to work, going to her bedroom to the master console and set himself to reading what was in the disks. He told Sinnae-Marie to relax while he did so, and with a sigh she closed every window in the manor and turned on the lights. She changed into a more comfortable thin dress, and dumped the bandages in the trash. It had taken all day, but her arm finally healed to the point where there was no fear of it splitting open again and bleeding. A nasty scar remained, but within another day it would vanished. At least she hoped it would.

Sinnae-Marie prepared a very light meal for the two of them, mixing blood plasma capsules in glasses of purified water. Like Nobility, dhampires had no true need to eat food. In fact, while it was possible they could, eating too much made dhampires ill. However, a light balanced meal did give natural energy much like it did for humans, and although D was beyond the normal dhampire and probably didn't need it, she still labored over it. A small chunk of medium rare steak, a bowl of rice with beans and cooked greens was all it was. Many humans would balk at the size of the servings, but to Sinnae-Marie's knowledge it was just enough to give a good boost and small enough to prevent illness. Just as she finished cooking it all by hand and was setting the plates on a table, D came out. His hat and sword were in one hand, his pauldrons and cape in the other. He gave her and the food a small glance before disappearing into the guest room, and when he deposited his things there—minus the sword, he still carried it—he came out and looked at her again.

Sinnae-Marie motioned for him to sit across from her. The way she looked at him told him plainly if he didn't want to, he had all rights to refuse. D almost looked ready to do so, but he leaned his sword against the table and sat down. Silence their constant companion, the dhampires ate their small meal, although D much slower than the stunning woman in front of him. It was almost romantically comical, for how they sat across from each other with only dimmed lighting made it as if they were two human teenagers on their first date. Nervousness, however, was missing, so perhaps the term reunited lovers was more appropriate.

When both were done with food and plasma blood drink, D spoke, "She wasn't made from parts of Glaerian."

Sinnae-Marie nodded, her elbows resting on the table and her chin on her linked hands. She had already cleared their plates. "I am relieved. But does that support any evidence he's alive?"

"There was a discarded but recoverable file on a new project dated to start a month ago." D replied. "This mentioned making another Terra, but with more powerful parts. Considering it mentioned recycling her, we can assume it has yet to start, as she was still alive until you destroyed her."

The female dhampire sighed, long and tragic. "Is he at the castle?"

"I don't know. I'm going back tomorrow."

"I'll go with you." Sinnae-Marie offered.

D shook his head, and the look in his eyes invited no argument. Although Sinnae-Marie still was about to protest, the Hunter added, "If he sends another minion, he may attack the villagers. You may not consciously know how to fight, but you took care of Terra thanks to your instincts. Put them to use and keep the humans safe. I'll let myself back in, so do not open the door to anyone."

Sinnae-Marie closed her eyes with a sigh. She got the feeling tomorrow would be hellish… and she hoped she was prepared, much like D, to handle it.


	6. Chapter 6

D left at dawn again after Sinnae-Marie bade him farewell. She was already awake and dressed in her white leather suit when D emerged from the bedroom, and he had simply inclined his head to her before heading to the stables. She followed him out, and as he was riding off, called out for him to be careful and waved. D never looked back at her, but he did raise his right hand up and out so she could see it. He knew the action would make a smile blossom on her lovely face.

As he was saddling his horse, Sinnae-Marie told him of her plans to mingle with the villagers. If he came back before dark, he could meet her at the tavern, which was the second largest building in the village and across from the central fountain. D had planned to finish this job tonight, for spending any more time in this beautiful, accepting village would only further strain his steely resolve he was so well known for.

Unbeknownst to both the left hand parasite and Sinnae-Marie, while he was watching the children play yesterday D had, for brief moments at a time, entertained thoughts of remaining in the village or even returning after finding _him_. Of course the humans would be older or perhaps a new generation entirely, Sinnae-Marie would be here to greet him and welcome him back. This sort of village, in all its near perfection, was a diamond among coals. Only a fool would pass up the chance to remain here, where home was stationary and welcoming, people peaceful and happy, and accursed dhampires like himself and Sinnae-Marie were loved and adored. It was not as if D truly had plans of what to do with his life once he exterminated all selfish and cruel Nobles and after he dealt with _him_… and this place had merit to be _home_.

Of course D was careful to hide such thoughts the best he could. As it was said on the Frontier, a Hunter never had a home. But what happens when the Hunter's prey is all but gone? When that day comes, and this place still existed… just maybe…

"Whole place smells like a joke," the hoarse voice from his hand interrupted D's musings. "Could be another one of those dream things. Not like you never ran into those before."

"You sound worried," D muttered, his voice barely louder than that of his trotting horse.

The hand sneered. "Why should I be? You don't care about humans or vampires accepting you, all you care about is killing your prey and moving on." The hand paused, then cautiously added, "Right?"

D generally kept his conversations with the parasite short, but something odd was his mood today, so he replied with the question, "And if I wanted to stay here?"

"I'd call bullocks," the hand replied with confidence. "What purpose would that serve? Wait wait, don't tell me, she's gonna be another _Doris_ ain't she?"

Before D could shut the left hand up, it quick went on, "Quit trying to cover it up, D! You're a grown man, there's nothing wrong with desiring a woman! Okay so yeah, the falling in love bit was bad, but wanting some isn't! Sinnae's a sweetie, I get it, I like her too, but not worth giving up your whole life pursuit over. Think rationally—"

At that point D gripped the reins so hard the horse jerked and the leather sliced into his palm, causing a cry of pain. He should have known better than to talk to the stupid thing… every time there was some woman involved, it had to mention _Doris_.

D wasn't immune to emotion, much like people thought he was. He simply had his mastered to never physically show. Years and years ago, he fought for Doris and her brother Dan. Years and years ago he loved Doris, in all her feminine fragility and stubborn prowess. But she was human, and D knew getting involved would be a mistake, despite how much he wanted her. The night she offered herself to him, he truly did intend to take his 'payment' from her, but not because it was his fee… but because he simply wanted her. Since the near involvement with Doris, D made it his priority to never get so physical with another female, _especially_ if it's a female that wormed her cunning way into his heart and he had the gall to _care_.

But it wasn't the fact D had to leave Doris, his desire for her unfulfilled, that angered and saddened him. It wasn't the fact he missed Dan being the man he knew the boy could be. It was the fact D was such a coward to not ever go near that region of the Frontier again, no matter how many people tried to call on him to exterminate vampires. He knew if he faced Doris he could fall again to his emotions for her, and whatever God watched over them forbid he actually embraced her the way she wanted him to. No, it wasn't the memory of Doris; it was his _fear_ of her… even if she's been dead for several years now.

D snapped the reigns and the horse fell into a fierce cater, and he tried to let the wind slip into his mind and blow away the memories. Brief thoughts of Doris, of her lovely face and softness, and the sweet childlike face of Dan brought moments of peace to D. But if he lingered on such memories for too long, the nagging feeling of… was it guilt? Of _something_ would gnaw at him and he had yet to defeat it.

When D let his left hand breathe, he said to it in acid tones, "I'm not in love with Sinnae-Marie."

"Well that's a relief." The parasite grumbled.

As Falien's castle loomed on his horizon, D shoved out all such thoughts of his mind. Thoughts that led to nothing because this ended today, and he would leave before the moon rises and forget such a place ever existed because he had no place, no home, and thinking he could find one was idiocy at its finest.

He was a dhampire. He couldn't have a normal life.

_But Sinnae-Marie could... has been._

D drowned his thoughts so far down only the echo of angry hoofbeats rang in his ears, and his face was that of a frigid sculpture of a beautiful god of death.

* * *

Sinnae-Marie smiled when all eyes turned to her; despite her quiet entrance into the pub the unearthly aura she never could control always attracted attention. Those curious human eyes became that of adoring subjects, and as she walked by, men stood to offer her a chair in the perfect example of chivalry. She politely declined, instead moving toward the stage where a grand harp rested. When they realized where she was going quiet cheers rose from the humans. A few children dashed out to gather up everyone, for if Lady Sinnae-Marie was going to play, everyone would want to hear.

While she had no combat prowess to wow the human populace, Sinnae-Marie's musical talent rivaled that of any immortal Noble bard. Her instrument of choice was the harp, which surprised many when she first played, for they figured she would choose the piano much like her mortal mother did. Instead Sinnae-Marie sat herself comfortably on the playing stool and strummed a few experimental notes. All attention was rapt and on her, and she took her time tuning the harp in slow, careful strums and long listening. To hear her play, the village will wait for eternity; as it was, Sinnae-Marie had stopped playing since her father's disappearance. This was a special night, and the villagers saw this as a good omen.

As she slowly tuned her harp and enthralled every listener, Sinnae-Marie's mind wandered to what was happening to D. By now he would have reached Falien's castle... would he encounter Terra? Would he face off with Falien? Would her father be found? Or would the battle turn for the worse, that somehow or someway, D would fail and be hurt? Or even...

Sinnae-Marie's eyes clouded for a moment, losing their shiny metallic gleam and appearing rusted and old. However she shoved aside such thoughts, for D was a professional and he faced far more powerful foes than her brother. Even if he did fail, he wouldn't die.

Sinnae-Marie closed her eyes, leaning her forehead against the frame of the harp and all whispering of the pub silenced. She positioned her arms and fingers and soon the most exquisite music filled the air. Villagers stared at their gorgeous Lady and were enthralled completely by the sounds of the harp, by the vision of lovely peace that infused Sinnae-Marie's countenance. This was their respite of the daily worries of life, their peace in the middle of a silent war.

Sinnae-Marie's hands slowed til their eventually stopped, and in the place of sweet music, an even sweeter and beautiful sound filled the air: Sinnae-Marie's singing.

_Now let the day,  
__Just slip away...  
__So the dark night may watch over you...  
__Velvet blue, silent true...  
__It embraces your heart and your soul...  
__Nocturne..._

_

* * *

_

D grunted when the large stone slammed into his shoulder, but he did not stumble even as he advanced toward the hallway's end. Falien had used his manipulation of sight once again, and although D caught it easily enough, the opposing vampire was cunning. Instead of concealing the correct door, he uncovered it. D went for it, catching onto the game, but he did not detect the slight change of the air that noted Falien was morphing the room he was entering. On the other side of the door was a hallway filled with traps not even his pendant stopped. D raced to the end, and only that falling rock managed to hit him.

Emerging on the other side, the dhampire found himself in an arena much like ancient times. Impossibly tall walls surrounded him in a circle, stadium seats scaling further up to the ceiling itself. In front of D directly was the high throne where he could figure Falien sat during whatever sick contests he held here. The throne was empty, but the gate behind D slammed closed. The Vampire Hunter advanced with no surprise or fear in his body, even as the dirt under his was suddenly moving as if being tossed by a breeze.

"Oho," his left hand said. "So this is where it was."

Before his eyes, the typhoon demon swirled into being, a tornado of furious wind and cutting sand. A human would have been crushed by the force of the gales and sliced to bits by the grains of sand, but D stood impassively, staring at the demon as his traveler's hat moved so violently on his head it threatened to be swept away.

"So," D said, quietly and firmly, "You're the one who hurt Sinnae-Marie."

A feminine laughter filled the arena chamber before the swirling tornado jumped onto the Hunter, swallowing him whole.

D floated unharmed in the rushing wind, the sand brushing off his leather armor and not even tearing his cloak. With precise movements, he lifted his hand to his sword and faster than a blink, a sliver of silver sliced through the center of the tornado. D landed easily when the winds stopped, his sword already held at the ready.

The cracked core of the typhoon demon shattered on impact with the ground, and Terra clambered out of it like a chick from an egg. The woman tossed her hair over her shoulder with a grunt.

"That was a surprise," the woman muttered, even as her body morphed into D himself. "But let's try this."

Even D was slightly surprised that Terra, in her disguise as him, was able to parry off his attack with a sword that looked just like his. Even worse, everything D did, she mirrored with precision. D had heard of such abilities of mutants, and what surprise he had was extinguished quickly. After all, mutants like Terra could only reproduce the exact state of the body when they acquired the DNA. She could not use his strength to its fullest.

D felt his fangs sharpen, and he pierced his lower lip. Even as Terra used all the speed she borrowed from D to raise that sword to parry, she wasn't as quick as the vampire lying underneath D's skin. It came at her with fangs bared, and the last thing she saw was the monstrously beautiful face of a full-blooded, feral Noble before her head was flying into the ceiling seats, a stream of dark blood coloring the flight like a silky ribbon.

D flicked his sword, although there was no blood on it, and sheathed it as he walked through the gate under the throne seat. He had returned to being a dhampire, but that moment of his power made the entire castle shudder with both revulsion and fear.

He descended farther down the depths. He fought off demons, monsters and illusions, but none were powerful enough to even make him stop walking. It was as if Falien had given up. D quickened his step when he realized the sun would soon set, and he wanted to leave this place quickly.

The Vampire Hunter threw open the grand doors, dispatching the spirit beasts without even blinking. Before him laid the beautifully made coffin; made of thick obsidian and decorated with silver lining and designs. A sheet of red velvet covered the top, of which the true Falien was perched. D had to pause, for only powerful vampires could rise before nightfall. Sinnae-Marie's brother obviously wasn't the weak man his actions made him out to be.

"Ah, so I see you're more than just a Vampire Hunter," Falien said, his posture straighter than a rod of steel as his eyes glared hatefully at D. "Perhaps that rumor is even true..."

D's eyes narrowed. "Where is Sinnae-Marie's father?"

"To the point, I see. I'm afraid our father is indisposed... I couldn't give him to you even if I wanted to." a fang-filled grin blossomed on Falien's handsome face. Suddenly all around D, the room was shifting and swirling. "I found out some very fascinating information about my little sister..."

D lifted up his sword to point right at Falien's chest. The Noble laughed, even as his own face was warping in D's eyes. D blinked only once, but it did nothing to straighten his vision. He shoved aside all thoughts, and still everything was out of place.

Falien's power wasn't a mind trick at all. He was warping the senses and nerves in D's eyes directly.

D shut his eyes, his other senses skyrocketing. Falien's voice came into his ears, "I have much work to do and you can't interfere. Whoever you are, farewell."

Something cold sliced into D's abdomen, for the Vampire Hunter had moved just enough to avoid a blow to the heart. Again laughter filled his ears, and D was blind eyes open or closed. He was disadvantaged, but he had been before... this was nothing different.

D flipped to the right and lashed out, and his sword met flesh.

_

* * *

_

_Never cry, never sigh,  
You don't have to wonder why.  
Always be, always see,  
Come and dream the night with me...  
Nocturne..._

Sinnae-Marie resumed playing the harp as her voice tampered off, and the entire village was either crammed inside the pub or outside the open windows, looking and listening in. Her eyes were closed, her own senses captured by the music she produced. Not a soul would have looked away from her and her harp on that stage, so enthralled were they, so at peace.

She had played this song three times since starting, and the villagers never protested. Her mother sang this song for her, played it for her on the piano. It's softness and simple lyrics gave her peace... and it seemed to have the same affect on the townsfolk.

It was still surprising that, when the full moon hung high in the sky, D entered the pub to find Sinnae-Marie. He stood at the door, and yet not even his unearthly beauty and aura could turn even the children from the female stringing her harp. For a moment she stopped playing the harp and opened her mouth, sweet voice and lyrics washing over D's ears.

_Have no fear,  
When the night draws near  
And fills you with dreams and desire...  
Like a child asleep,  
So warm, so deep...  
You will find me there waiting for you,  
Nocturne..._

_We will fly, claim the sky,  
We don't have to wonder why.  
Always be, always see,  
Come and dream the night with me...  
Nocturne..._

When she resumed playing the harp, D paused in his act of leaving and waiting outside. As the crystalline beautiful sound trickled in his ears, he began to hear more than just the harp. Quiet in his mind but still profound, D heard the sound of a violin, perhaps some flutes, almost a full orchestra. He hadn't heard such a thing in so many years, and D turned back to look at Sinnae-Marie.

It was the harp. Now that he looked at it, D saw the shimmer of enchantment on its strings. However, it wasn't an automatic thing, for the harpist was playing each instrument herself. Any missed or horrid plucked string produced the same mistake in all sounds. To play so fluidly, so naturally and beautifully, meant Sinnae-Marie was proficient in this instrument.

When she stopped and began to sing, D found himself questioning.

_Though darkness lay  
It will give way...  
When the dark night delivers the day..._

_Nocturne._

* * *

**A/N**: So sorry for being so late. My computer had a virus and had to be reformatted... and I lost my chapters ; ; so, I'm working on rewriting those and my class papers. Sadly the story will take a backseat to said class papers... but I will get it done!

Extra Disclaimer: I do not own the song Sinnae-Marie sings. It's owned by Secret Garden and is called Nocturne. I initially only had a shorter version but then discovered the more beautiful longer version. This was the song that inspired this fic. =)


	7. Chapter 7

Sinnae-Marie's eyes finally saw the dark figure in the back, and when her face lit up all the townsfolk looked as well. His beauty struck them senseless, a reaction he was more than accustomed to. D paid them no mind, and instead simply waited for the female dhampire to join him, his head lowered so his wide-brimmed midnight traveler's hat shadowed his upper face. As she stood to get ready to leave, the humans gathered snapped out of their passionate reverie and hailed D in such a ridiculous fashion he had to look up at them.

"Lord D! Welcome back!"

"How fared the hunt, Lord D?"

"We are relieved to see you safe, Lord D!"

"Are you tired, milord? Do you want a drink?"

Although his visage showed no change, D was at a slight loss. Humans stuttered in his presence, enthralled by his physical beauty and aura of danger. They were intimidated and afraid but allured and aroused. But never had he really had a whole village _happy_ to receive him… _concerned_ for his personal safety. It was bizarre, and in the back of his mind, almost comforting.

"Now now," Sinnae-Marie was saying. "Don't smother him. Go on, enjoy your night, I'll take D home."

_Home_.

D turned for the door without another word, and was already on his horse by the time Sinnae-Marie said her good nights and came outside of the tavern. The two shared a brief look before she went around the side and came back astride her own white horse, and in perfectly comfortable silence, made their way back to Sinnae-Marie's manor.

It was quite rare to find such a quiet female, and D contemplated briefly on every girl in the past several decades he somehow ended up saving or maiming, and each one had always felt the urge to fill the air with chatter. However, unless she had something worth saying, Sinnae-Marie was content much like he was with the silence, and no tension or fear ever wafted from her due to such stillness. It was almost relaxing, and it made the job that much less annoying. Despite his affection for her, Doris always had to stutter something when around him, and although she was amusing, Lina still bothered and got in D's way more than he cared for. Leila, when she wasn't hurt or crying for her mother, seemed to stop him from doing his job at every chance she was given, Tae, whatever other women that D somehow always got some sort of job with, none were quite as… _accommodating_ as Sinnae-Marie. She fed him, housed him, answered his questions, and… that was it. Other than once in a while spending excess time with him, D more or less did not have to worry about an emotional female panting after him or cowering behind him for once. It was a change of scenery.

"I assume it did not go well," Sinnae-Marie's voice sliced through the silence—such a clean, beautiful cut, D did not feel the least be bothered by it. "What happened?"

"The castle disappeared." Was his reply.

Sinnae-Marie knitted her brow, her gorgeous eyes dimming in her confusion. "Disappeared? It has no teleport capabilities. Perhaps it was camouflage?"

"I checked. It's gone. I meant to ask you when we were inside where you think he took it."

D heard her shrug, for she was a half a horse's length behind him. "Honestly I don't have a clue, but we just installed new batteries into the town's camera system, I can run through it and have a look-see."

Despite D's private swear to leave by the night, just as he made it to the great gate of the castle it simply vanished before his eyes, leaving only a crater as a pocked reminder it was there once. He had searched, with his left hand's help, the entire perimeter and several miles in each direction with no avail. Not a single sign to be found, no clue or hint of the where or even how. While teleportation of short distances was easy for common Nobility, long-range was much rarer, but the Nobles could only teleport themselves and perhaps one other they were touching. To teleport a fully armed castle full of heaven knows what to a possibly far location was a phenomenal feat of mental skill and strength. D used his pendant and every mental defense he had in case it was another mind or eye trick, but it was still gone. Falien had, indeed, teleported himself and his castle somewhere.

As they stabled their horses and made their way inside, Sinnae-Marie nearly tripped when D suddenly changed the subject, "You don't play and sing at the same time."

She had to brace herself against a nearby table, so startled she was. She had not even thought D heard her, only assumed he walked in after she had finished. Embarrassment rose to color her cheeks and she fought it down. "No. I can't do it. If I try I mess up either my singing, the playing, or both."

Sinnae-Marie swore she heard D snort, but he hardly seemed like the type to indulge in such an action. She resumed her track to the main living space, D following like a silent reserved killer. Sometimes, when he stood close enough, Sinnae-Marie swore she felt the blade of a sickle hovering just under her chin, ready to lop off her head should she breathe. The female dhampire took a deep breath as she twirled around and fell gracefully onto a chair, her glittering hair seeming to cause a halo of soft light to envelope her. The Hunter sat across from her, and a moment later he pulled his hat off and let it rest on his knee, his dark eyes staring straight into the bright orbs of Sinnae-Marie and chilling her spine with such an empty look.

Sinnae-Marie twirled a bit of her hair with her fingers. "I guess Falien is truly afraid of you, if he moved his roots."

"No," D replied. "I think he's almost done with what he's been doing."

"Have you analyzed what you got from the lab?"

"No."

Sinnae-Marie blinked several times. "So how can you say—"

"Nobles like Falien will never admit to defeat, let alone fear." D was prompt to answer. Sinnae-Marie bit her lower lip, because she realized the Hunter was right.

She stood and began to pace, hands clasped behind her back and her shimmering hair trailing behind her in a luscious cloud of softness. D followed her moments with his eyes, waiting for her word. Several quiet minutes passed before the tense beauty stopped and faced the Hunter, her face strained.

"Check the data from the lab," she said. While it seemed like an order, it lacked the aggressiveness. "You can use the main computer in my bedroom—tap the blank wall and it'll come out of hibernation mode."

D stood and went to do such that, not a word or look spared toward her. Sinnae-Marie stood stock still, then looked up to the sky window and drank the moon's brightness with her eyes. She thought of her father, her mother, and tears bubbled to her eyes.

~*~

"You scared her," Left hand commented as D inserted the discs into the holographic computer.

D didn't bother to answer, simply moving his fingers along the holographic keyboard and downloading the data. Left hand hummed in a bored tone, knowing trying to speak of Sinnae-Marie would give it nothing but silence. D never liked to speak of the women he worked for or ran into, be it during or after the encounter. Which was a real shame—Left hand saw all sorts of great opportunities at conversations that centered on those women, like Doris' nice ass or how annoyingly easy it was of Lori to be duped. But no, D wasn't for conversation.

D watched as passively as ever as the graphs and letters and numbers flashed before his eyes, too fast for normal human eyes to read. Thousands of scans, reports and test results skimmed the wall-screen and showed no signs of slowing down—charts comparing two test subjects, analysis of after effects of drugs, dutiful notes and careful observations filled the screen and somehow despite the chaotic dispersion of it all, D followed it and absorbed all of the information.

Half an hour later Sinnae-Marie finally joined him, although he declined the cup of water she offered. Drinking it herself, Sinnae-Marie looked at the screen in respectable silence until D switched the computer off, turning to face her.

"He has copied and followed the notes left by your namesake," D said, voice plain. "He's added his own; apparently, Falien seeks to manufacture dhampires."

"_Manufacture_?" Sinnae-Marie asked, her eyes wide. "Wait, _dhampires_? Why dhampires?"

D looked over his shoulder at the blank screen. "He realizes as it stands, Nobles cannot overcome their weaknesses. However, dhampires have proven to be immune to some of those weaknesses, such as sunlight."

"So what? He wants to make a dhampire army?"

"Something like that. He's picking traits to go into this being, and your father's strength was one of them."

Sinnae-Marie's breath caught in her throat and she dropped the glass of water. It harmlessly bounced off the plush carpet and rolled close to D's foot, gently kissing it with an inaudible tap. She took several steps back until her legs found her bed and she sat down with no grace, her shock surreal to even her. Her mouth started to move, but no voice came out.

D finished his gruesome findings, "He's after you next. You apparently have a strength no other Noble or dhampire have."

The female finally let out a weak chuckle. "Hardly," she rasped. Despite the water she had, Sinnae-Marie suddenly felt as if her throat was made of sand. "I'm even as allergic to the sun like most Nobles… if not for my special clothes I'd… Wait." She blinked. "Oh. I see."

D waited patiently, but Sinnae-Marie said nothing more. When it was apparent she was not going to share her realization, the Hunter left her in her room and went to his. Tomorrow was another hunt, and until Falien made a move, D was unfortunately blind to what to do next.

When D clicked the door closed, Sinnae-Marie grabbed one of her luxurious pillows and hugged it tightly to her chest. Suddenly, things started to make sense, and despite her desire to know why, Sinnae-Marie wished she never figured it all out. She closed her eyes, listening as D went to his quarters and made no more sound. Silence crashed into Sinnae-Marie's ears, threatening to undo her very sanity.

Resigned, Sinnae-Marie activated her computer and read over the data herself. In it she learned more gruesome truth it made her nearly retch, and only more conclusions, all viable, filled her mind. She would have to tell D a little secret tomorrow, and given what she knew of him, she wasn't sure how well he'd take it.

* * *

I am terribly sorry for the shortness of this chapter, especially considering the wait. Finals were hell, and then holidays slammed into my front door in the form of overseas family. Now I'm in the job market, but in between interviews I hope to get back on the ball with the story.

I swear the next chapter will be a hellva lot longer. But I didn't want to put this one off for much longer. Thank you for your patience.


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